Return Of The Prodigal Ed
by Infection2012
Summary: An unfortunate event sends Double D to a dark place for a few years. When he returns, the people he once knew find he's changed in a way they may not like. Things only get worse they more they learn about this new Double D.
1. Parting Ways

Disclaimer: I do not own Ed, Edd, N' Eddy.

Chapter 1: Parting Ways

They weren't here. Things were about to begin and they still hadn't shown up. Given that he understood they were very busy individuals, but he was surprised they weren't going to be here for this, the hour he needed them most.

"Are you going to be alright, Eddward?"

The young teen's black eyes focused on his lawyer, or rather, his parent's lawyer. Mr. Johnson was his named. A nice man in his mid-thirties, very competent and successful, but the look on the man's face told Double D things were not going the way he'd like. The fact his own parents hadn't shown up left the impression this entire trial had already been determined. Perhaps they had already been decided out of court and this was merely a formality. Regardless, he knew things weren't going to end well.

The realization caused him to turn to the cause of his problems. The Sampson family, which would be Eddy's family. The shortest Ed sat between his mother and father. His mother was a short woman, likely where Eddy got his height, with short blonde hair, blue eyes, a face that left question as to whether or not she was really Eddy's mother, and wore a modest dress. Opposed to his mother was Eddy's father, a large man wearing a plaid that made Double D think of a brick wall. His facial structure was definitely where he contributed to Eddy's genes, having the same square head as both his son.

But it wasn't Eddy's parents that interested him, but his own friend. The neck brace and cast on his friend's arm made Double D wince. Eddy had been injured numerous times, all of the Cul-de-sac kids had, but never had they led to the pain Eddy was going through. And yet, despite this pain, Double D could see a smile on Eddy's face. Even though he knew quite well what this trial was going to do to Double D, he wanted what was going to be given to him at the end of the proceedings.

That was the trait that really seemed to be shared in the Sampson family. Greed. While Eddy was all for this trial apparently, it was his father who had taken things to court in the first place. He didn't care that this was his neighbor's kid. He didn't care that this was his son's friend. Double D even doubted that he cared about his son's suffering. All he wanted to reap the benefits of this trial.

"It would appear that Mr. and Mrs. Vincent will not be attending the proceedings, so we shall begin" the judged announced, bringing Double D out of his analysis of his friend's family. Double D could tell by the look on the judge's face that he did not want to do this to the boy. He had looked over Double D's records and knew that what had happened could be nothing more than an accident. However, he was but an instrument of the law and had a job to do. "Eddward Vincent, you are being sued for recklessly injuring Edward Sampson, causing his right arm to be broken and damaging his neck. Do you deny this?"

"I cannot lie your honor, it is my fault that Eddy is in the condition he is in right now" Double D acknowledged his guilt. Personally, he believed things had not be 'reckless', but pointing that out now wouldn't do anything but make him look uppity about his situation.

"I see. The Sampson family seeks reimbursement, not only for the medical expenses that they are forced to undergo, but for the psychological damage experienced by the entire family for Mr. Sampson's suffering" the judged announced.

At this time, Mr. Johnson rose from his seat, receiving acknowledgement from the judge. "My client's parents are willing to compensate the the Sampson family for the medical fees, but they are unwilling to pay for anything else"

Double D's heart sunk at the announcement. He knew he was in trouble, but he thought he'd have to deal with his parent's disappointment for causing them so much trouble. The fact they refused to help him out made him realize that things could only go south from here.

"I am sorry to say, but the court will have to rule in favor of the Sampson family. When the Sampson's initially filed their case, we sent a court appointed psychologist to assess Edward's condition. I don't wish to be rude here, but he said that Edward is quite disturbed" the judge declared. The statement didn't seem to insult the Sampson family at all, and Double D knew why. While hating to sound petty, Eddy's mindset hadn't changed at all from this situation. Yes, he was in pain, but he wasn't traumatized. He'd been through much worse. The only thing that psychologist had seen was the already depraved personality of his so called friend.

"My client's parents had been informed of this before the proceedings today and reluctantly decided that they could still not pay for the mental damages" Mr. Johnson reiterated, making it clear that Double D's parents had no intention of giving any more than they believed necessary to Eddy's family.

Angered by the lawyer's announcement, Mr. Sampson rose from his seat and shouted. "This is bullshit! My family has been grieving every second since our son's been injured. We're more than likely going to need some kind of therapist to get us through this!"

"Take a seat and be silent Mr. Sampson! This is still my court and I will not have you disrupt it!" the judge commanded, making it clear the outburst was not appreciated. After Mr. Sampson took at seat, the judge sighed and looked to Double D. "As I said, we must rule in favor the the plaintiff. If the defendant's legal guardians will not reimburse them for psychological damage that has been set upon the Sampson family, then I'm afraid we will have to punish Mr. Vincent here"

"As I said, my client's parents have made it clear they will not pay and are prepared for the consequences of this course of action" Mr. Johnson reluctantly replied. Double D knew this wasn't his choice. He didn't want to tell everyone that Double D would have to be punished for something that was only an accident, simply on the grounds that Eddy's family was filled with green-eyed monsters and his own parents could care less about his situation.

Giving another sigh, the judge wearily looked down at his desk, not even wanting to look at the poor boy as he gave his sentence. "Because Mr. Vincent's parents refuse to reimburse the Sampson's for psychological damage received, I will have to sentence him to no more than three years in Orange River Juvenile Correctional Facility"

"Th-three years?" Double D stuttered, shocked by the sentence he received.

"Your honor, I believe this sentence is unfair for psychological damage" Mr. Johnson protested.

"We must take into consideration the damage taken in not only by Edward Sampson, but by the entire Sampson family. Eddward may still get out early, but he will still have to spend time in the facility and must remain in good behavior during his stay" the judged explained.

While Mr. Johnson continued to argue against this sentence, with Mr. Sampson chipping in to declare how unfair he believed it to be for him to receive no additional compensation for the damage his family allegedly received, it was all background noise to Double D. His future, which he worked so hard for by being a good, smart, caring individual that did what was best for others, had disappeared in the matter of mere minutes because of an accident he had no control over. Yes, he took responsibility for his role, but to be punished so severely. Not only that, but the fact that his parents refused to lend a helping hand in this time of need struck him.

The combination of betrayal by one of his best friends and his own family caused something to break in Double D. That desire to keep hoping for the better just seemed to disappear in an instant. Rising from his seat, Double D interrupted the ongoing argument between his lawyer, his former friend's dad, and the judge. "I will accept the sentence as is"

The surprise of the acceptance caught the adults, who had no idea of the thoughts going on in the young teen's mind. At this point, going to some correctional facility was for the better. He could stay out of the way of his parents, as they apparently desired, and get away from the traitor of a friend. He had nothing left in Peach Creek to make him try to resist this, so it was better if he just quietly accept the sentence given to him and move on.

Some how understanding there was no more fight left in Double D, Mr. Johnson gave a nod surrendered his argument. With the instanteous willingness of the boy, Mr. Sampson knew there was nothing left he could argue against. He wasn't a well educated man, but even he could tell that by Double D accepting the sentence, they'd say the Sampson family was owed nothing more than the sound mind of the boy who injured their son being punished.

With nothing left, the judge finalized the decision and sadly watched Double D leave the courtroom. He had seen many guilty men go free and just as many innocent men get sentenced in his time as a judge. However, this boy, who had admitted his guilt, didn't deserve this. He could only pray that somewhere down the line, Double D could fix that broken spirit. That he could regain the strength he needed to still have the bright future he once held.

A/N: Yo. Just saying, I'm a Criminal Justice major, so anyone thinking about how the proceedings here aren't necessarily realistic, I'm just saying it makes it easier to write the story when you ignore some of the legitimate things in a trial.


	2. Three Years Later

Disclaimer: I do not own Ed, Edd, N' Eddy.

Chapter 2: Three Years Later

"And good morning Peach Creek people! This is your local radio host, Stan Stanley! I want to welcome all of you to another great day in our little sub-urban slice of heaven! To do so, lets start the day with a song by-"

Before the radio host could finish his sentence, a feminine hand landed on top of the clock radio, turning the device off. Lifting herself from bed, a blue haired individual cast a nasty look at the radio for stirring her from her blissful sleep. Especially since she had such a good dream. Looking around, Marie spotted the other two beds in the room. After entering high school, the sisters agreed it was better for all of them if they got separate beds and spaced them out. In one bed, Marie could see the blonde hair of May sticking out. She was always the last one up, so this wasn't new. The other bed was messy, but empty, as it usually was when Marie woke up.

Sliding out of bed, Marie moved downstairs, finding her red haired sister in the kitchen, fixing herself some toast and eggs. "Morning Lee" Marie greeted with a slight yawn, moving over to the pantry to grab some cereal. She wasn't as good a chef as her sister and she doubted her sister had made enough for her as well.

"Sup Marie. Sleep well?" Lee asked without checking on her, making sure her eggs were being cooked just the way she liked them.

"Almost too good. I don't even want to got to school today" Marie complained, grabbing the milk carton Lee had left out for her, with that much being all she'd provide for her sister.

Lee remained silent for a moment before asking "You dreamt of him again?"

Part of Marie was surprised, but she knew by now that the bond between the sisters made it hard for any of them to keep secrets. "Yeah, I dreamt of him again. It was just me and him. We didn't do anything special, just relaxed together. It was... nice"

"Ya got to stop that Marie. He's been gone for three years now, he ain't coming back" Lee stated, bringing two plates over to the table. Marie had been surprised when Lee set one of them down in front of her. The portion of eggs was small, but Marie knew Lee had just then decided to share some of her cooking with her younger sister.

"You don't know that. His parents still live here, so he might come back" Marie countered, wanting to glare at her sister for trying to make the good thoughts go away, but knowing the offering of eggs wasn't something she'd do if she wasn't serious about things.

"Think about it Marie. When has a man ever left us for more than a week and come back?" Lee chastised her sister, driving the point straight home. The girls had three fathers that never came back, so it was hard for Lee, or any of the Kankers really, to allow unexplained disappearances to go without insult.

Marie was about to protest in whatever way she possibly could, when the youngest sister Lee arrived. "Mornin' guys" the sleepy blonde greeted, rubbing her eye as she walked into the kitchen.

"Good morning May" Lee and Marie answered in unison. Marie cast another look at Lee, wanting her sister to take back what she said, but the truth was there and she couldn't argue against it. Sighing, Marie resigned herself to eating her breakfast and continuing on with her day.

* * *

><p>An hour later and the Kanker sisters had arrived at school. As per usual, they took Lee's busted up pick up truck. The entire time they kept close to one another and shivered. The heater in the truck was broken and it was in the middle of winter, so they were going to be cold, even with their extra layers of clothes. It didn't help that their destination, Peach Creek High, was going through some renovations that unfortunately left it without heat as well. This basically meant that from the moment they left their trailer to the moment they returned, the Kankers were going to be cold today.<p>

Once they arrived, the three girls filed out of the truck and made their way into the school. As they moved, Marie thought about how they'd changed over the years. In a sense, not much had really changed in them. They still terrorized others, but now they did it for a different reason. It used to be just for fun, but now they had come to a realization of how poor they were in comparison to others. Causing others suffering made them feel equal to them. More than that, they felt better than the people who had actual houses and parents that weren't separated.

Appearance wise, the girls had done more changing than they had emotionally. Lee was refered by many as the 'Amazon', seeing as she had grown to be taller than all the other girls at six foot two. She wasn't a giant, but she was noticeably larger than other girls after are. The fact she had inherited the Kankers' mother's impressive chest made her even more noticeable, her eyes still remained hidden by her curly red hair, although she had grown it out so it now reached her shoulders and curled only at the bottom. Her clothes essentially when it came to color scheme, with blue jeans remaining the same, but now a plain white tank top and a red jacket over top, although with the winter weather, she was wearing a heavy, dark red coat over top the red jacket she already wore.

May hadn't grown much in height over the years, making her the shortest of the Kankers. She had developed more of an hourglass body than the rest of her siblings, but her chest didn't match Lee's and Marie beat her when it came to bottoms, but her development made her the most curvacious of the Kankers. She kept her hair as long as ever, being on thing that didn't really change. One noticeable thing was that, by what little medical care their mother could afford, she had received the necessary dental care to make her trademark buck teeth... not so trademark. They were still there of course, but with the right braces she had fixed it up so they didn't make her look like she had beaver mouth. When it came to her attire, kept it simple with the same red shorts she always wore, although with her growth they seeemd even shorter on her, and a white t-shirt with short blue sleeves. Of course, this provided little protection during the winter season, so she had put on some red snow pants and a white coat.

Marie herself kept that punk rock style about her, but matured it. She still had the short blue hair covering her right eye for the most part and she grew only tall enough to make her the middle of the three Kankers, just as their age had been. She had grown some breast, although they weren't the same size as her sisters'. Rather, her ass was the sexual focus point that drew most people's attention. She had kept the combat pants and black tank top, but now had the addition of a skull on it, with the addition of green armwarmers covering her forearms. For the cold climate, she was also wearing a beaten brown pilot's jacket she'd found.

In all, the Kankers had actually grown to be a trio of knockouts. Were they not such aggressive individuals, they'd probably have a following of boys asking them out.

As the girls approached the school, Marie looked around, seeing the other kids. There were a lot of kids there, but she was more focused on those that lived in the Cul-de-sac. Unfortunately, she could not find any. Or maybe it was fortunate. While it was given that she and her sisters would interact with them, mostly to assault them, but she didn't like seeing them. Not after Double D had left. Life moved on of course, but there was a different air since Double D disappeared. Maybe she was the only one that felt it, but when the terrorized the kids, particularly the Eds, it felt lacking.

It really made her think about things. While many considered their love for the Eds to be simple crushes, all of the Kankers still carried a flame for them. Lee and May were lucky. Their boy toys were still there. When Double D first disappeared, Marie and the others simply assumed he went on some kind of vacation or something. When he was missing for over a week, she became worried and began interrogating everyone who might know something. After a month of answerless torture, Marie figured that the kids really didn't know where he went. They implied Eddy might know, seeing as he was also in a cast following Double D's disappearance, but the shortstack refused to say anything.

It irritated her that she couldn't figure out what happened to her dreamboat. She even tried contacting Double D's parents, but they were never home and they never replied to any of the letters she left at their door. The mysterious disappearance, combined with the fact the kids seemed to quickly act as if there never had been a Double D, made Marie want to go into a fit of rage.

During this little brainstorm over the smart Ed's disappearance, Marie wasn't paying attention to where she was going. The fact her sisters had already split off to go to their respective lockers left Marie completely unaware she was walking around without care. Her random course caused her to bump into somebody, causing the two individuals to stumble back.

Blinking a moment as she gathered her thoughts, Marie began to growl. "Watch we're you're going ya jackass!"

While she was a feisty ball of fire that scared even the senior class, she was taken back when she saw who she walked into. While not familiar with every individual that went to the school, she was at least aware if she'd seen them before, and the person she had just yelled at was unfamiliar. It was a boy her age, taller than Lee by an inch or two, whose very appearance shouted 'mystery'. Dark blue denim jeans, brown boots, and a zipped up black hoodie with the hood up covered his form. Additionally, there was a white scarf wrapped around the lower half of his face, covering up even his nose, with the ends tucked into the hoodie. With the scarf and hood, it was hard enought to get a good look at the boy's face, but when she saw the long black hair that covered the left half of his face, all she got was a small patch of skin and one black eye.

The boy seemed to be inspecting her rather quickly as well, making sure he didn't cause her to drop anything or hurt her, before turning and leaving. Not even a word to her before leaving seemed pretty rude, but Marie couldn't focus on the boy's personality. The small encounter could have been written off as an accident with a new kid and nothing more, but something really struck Marie about the boy. She knew virtually nothing about him, but she felt like she knew him.

It took Marie a few minutes to get moving again, having to rush in order to get to her locker before class, but there was something more important on her mind now. Maybe should wouldn't have time to do a full investigation or even be able to focus on it as much as she'd like, but she knew she had to figure out who that was and why he seemed so familiar.

A/N: Just saying, while this chapter was seen through Marie's eyes, she isn't the female protagonist/love interest. At least, not yet. I'm not sure who I want to take that role, but I figured it would be easy to go ahead and at least follow Marie into the time skip since she's usually considered the best love interest in a Double D centric story. If anyone's got a good suggestion as to who would be best, I've got an open ear.


	3. A Watchful Eye

Disclaimer: I do not own Ed, Edd, N' Eddy.

Chapter 3: A Watchful Eye

"Hey Kevin, great game last week!"

"Yo Kevin! Come to my party this weekend!"

"Hey Kevin, I'll be watching you next game, so look for me in the crowd"

A grin spread on Kevin's face as he walked through the halls. It was like this pretty much every day. He was a jock and a popular kid. If you didn't know who he was by now, you had to be a moron. Given that Kevin was aware he wasn't the big man on campus. He wasn't the most popular kid, nor was the the star player for any team, but he was an all around jock. Football, basketball, baseball, soccer, and any other sports team the school had, he was on it and people could tell by his look. Muscular build, short red hair (even thoug he was lucky to grow any hair after that bald period a few years ago), and always dressed in jeans and a jersey with the school colors of blue, white, and orange. This ability to get into every sports team allowed him to meet a lot of different people and make new friends. Of close, his two closest friends had been there since before he moved on to high school.

One of them was his girlfriend, who he spotted at her locker as she prepared herself for the classes that would happen after the lunch break. Nazz. Kevin's grin grew larger as he looked over his girlfriend. As if she hadn't already been a major babe, she had really become eye candy over the years. Besides rocking the curves, she had grown her beautiful blonde hair to her shoulders. Usually he'd see her in a white skirt with a blue and orange top, the cheerleading outfit the school provided, but because of the season, she was wearing long blue pants with a white and orange long-sleeve shirt, a secondary uniform provided for colder climate. Even though it covered up a lot of the skin he liked to eye, Kevin still loved the way the outfit hugged her body.

"Hey babe, miss me much?" Kevin asked, leaning against the locker next to Nazz.

Looking up, a smile formed on Nazz's face as she greeted her boyfriend with a peck on the cheek. "Hey Kevin! How are you today?"

"A lot better since I met you babe" Kevin said smoothly. It was really corny, but Nazz found it to be just the right thing to say as she gave him a hug.

Kevin was loving the feel of Nazz, when another set of arms wrapped the two up and gave them a tight squeeze. The hug was annoying, but he found the added pressure really let him feel Nazz's form, so he couldn't be mad about it. After the arms let go, Kevin and Nazz turned to, as he suspected, Rolf.

Rolf was still the tall, foreign farming kid from the neighborhood, but he was still Kevin's best friend. Despite Kevin's instance, Rolf still wore the same clothes he always had. The only difference was now he had them in a larger size. Kevin didn't need to complain about his friend's lack of fashion though, since he took advantage of his height and played basketball. He was better than Kevin in it too. Not the ace, but when the senior class now graduated, he'd probably be head captain.

"Hello Jock Kevin-boy and Go Go Nazz-girl! Are you ready for lunch? Rolf has prepared a feast of meats for Rolf's friends!" Rolf announced in a rather peculiar way of greeting his friends.

"I'm fine Rolf. It's pizza day, so I was going to get me and my lady a slice" Kevin denied hsi friend.

"You're buying today Kevin? That is so sweet dude!"

"I know, I know. I'm totally rad. Now lets go get some before they run out of pepperoni" Kevin commanded, leading his friends into the cafeteria. While his mood was great and nothing could ruin it, something got to Kevin. He shuddered slightly. Neither Nazz nor Rolf noticed it, but he just felt this slight chill in his bones. He knew it was cold in the school, but this didn't come from the temperature.

Looking around, he half expected something big to be sticking out. Nothing did though. There was nothing that really caught Kevin's attention. There were just people, sitting around, eating lunch, talking, and doing general lunch time stuff. And just as quickly as Kevin felt he had to look for something, he shrugged it off and returned his focus to getting lunch.

Had he stayed focused for just a few more seconds, he would have noticed the hooded boy with the scarf wrapped around his mouth that Marie had bumped into earlier. The boy had no lunch before him as he sat in the corner of the cafeteria. The boy was watching Kevin and his entourage. Following them with his one exposed eye. With a slight grunt, the boy got up and left the cafeteria. He had other things to do.

* * *

><p>Just as Kevin and his friends met up in the cafeteria, other students were spending their lunch break outside. Students were allowed to eat outside if they wanted, but the people who spent their time outside now had no intention of eating, not in the cold. Most had already eaten whatever it was they brought to school during class so they could goof off outside at this time. Two of those students were the remaining Eds.<p>

"Come on lumpy, keep packing them together so we can be ready later!" the leader of the Eds shouted. Eddy had done little to change over the years. He was taller, but in comparison to everyone else, he was still the short guy. He had traded in his trademark three hairs for a scalp covering layer of black hair. His choice of clothing remained the same, but he upped the ante with his accessories. He now had a few silver chains hanging off his pants, with one gold chain around his throat. A gold ring was also situated on the middle finger of each hand.

"Okey-dokey artichokey!" the gullible teen known as Ed shouted, gathering a bunch of snow and packing it together. Ed had grown even taller since middle school, now reaching six and a half feet. He was letting his brown hair grow out now, allowing it to hover above his shoulders now. He kept his jeans, but had traded his red-and-white striped shirt for a black shirt with a zombified face wearing a beanie on it, the logo for a popular horror movie franchise known as 'Zombie Dance Party'. He also changed up his green jacket for a similar one made of leather. A decision he had made after watching a movie where the lead vampire villain was allergic to leather and died after the protagonist strangled him to death with the sleeves of his own leather jacket.

Eddy chuckled devilishly as he began setting up a small booth by the school's back doors where the students would exit to get outside for the break. He believed this to be his best scheme yet. It never crossed his mind that the fact he continued to try to scam everyone was what caused them to hate him again, even after they had forgiven him when they met his brother and realized how tough he had it. He just knew he had plans that could make him rich. Or as rich as a high school kid could get with half baked schemes.

"Hey Eddy! Whatcha doin'?"

Eddy, who was grabbing things under his booth, jumped up, only to hit his head on the very structure he had set up. Looking up, he found Jonny standing there, looking as simple as ever. Jonny was one of the last people Eddy wanted to see. He looked pretty normal, wearing a long sleeve white shirt and jeans. But the fact he was still wearing sandals and no coat gave Eddy reason to question his mental stability, which was something he questioned anyways. Physically, Jonny had matured a bit. He had grown taller, a little bit fitter, and kept his ever huge head shaved. Mentally, Eddy doubted he had matured at all. He would admit that, still trying to scheme kids, he wasn't the best person to talk about emotional maturity, but Jonny was just a weirdo. He still carried Plank around and talked to him all the time. Plank of course hadn't changed at all, except for a small hole by one of his lower corners where a screw was drilled in at one point. The Cul-de-sac kids had tolerated it for a while, but eventually they started distancing themselves from the boy. Eddy imagined they'd probably choose one of the Eds over him, since they at least knew they weren't potential psychos.

Still, Eddy was a con-man, and that meant trying to push whatever he was selling on whoever he could. Standing up, Eddy gave a grin and replied "Quite simple really, Jonny my boy. You see, I am starting a snowball hit service"

"Snowball hit service? What's that?"

"Simple really" Eddy answered, scooping some snow up into his hands. As he began patting and forming it into a ball, he contined speaking. "Lets say there's someone you don't like. Someone who may have done something to make you angry. You pay me the meager fee of a dollar and we'll pelt them with a snowball. One dollar per snowball"

"I don't know Eddy, that seems like something you could get in trouble for" Jonny pointed out.

"Yeah, like me and Ed aren't going to get detention anyways. Since we'll get in trouble for something anyways, we'll go ahead and take your money to do your dirty work. We won't rat you out either" Eddy explained. Then, to drive the point home, he took the snowball he just made and drove it straight into Jonny's face. "What do you say? You got somebody you want revenge on?"

As Jonny shook the snow from his face, with Eddy laughing at his pain, Ed lifted his head up. With his acute sense of smell, he took notice of something. It was something he had smelled before. Something that seemed signature, but he could tell there were other scents mixed up with it. These other scents made it impossible for him to pin just what it was the scent reminded him of.

Looking around, he spotted something. It moved quickly out of his sight, but he knew he saw it. Right at the window of the school, there had been someone there. Someone who was watching him. Watching them. Eddy, Jonny, and Plank as well. It was gone now, but Ed had tilted his head, curiously pondering just who it was that had been watching them.

"Hey monobrow! Do you have those snowballs made yet!"

Turning to Eddy, Ed completly forgot about what he was previously focused on. "Not yet Eddy! I need more snow!"

When the towering Ed moved to talk to his friend, the mysterious figure returned to the window. Once more, it was the hooded boy with the white scarf. For the first time since entering the school, the boy spoke, even though there was nobody around to hear him. "It's hard to believe they haven't changed. None of them have changed. Just the same, stupid kids they were before"

When Jonny moved to head back inside, the boy motioned to leave, not wanting to get close to the peculiar boy. However, he paused, watching as the other teen started talking to the piece of wood in his hands. The one exposed eye narrowed, focusing on that board. The teen moved at last, whispering to himself. "It seems that if any progress is going to take place, I'll have to be the one that forces it"


	4. The Price Of Progress

Disclaimer: I do not own Ed, Edd, N' Eddy.

Chapter 4: The Price Of Progress

"Man Plank, today was exhausting, wasn't it?" Jonny yawned, leaning into the couch he and his wooden companion sat. They were watching TV, but they weren't really paying attention. It had been a cartoon, but at this time it was getting into some of the more adult programming for the late night.

While Plank just sat there, never saying a thing, Jonny smiled and laughed a little. "You can say that again buddy. I wonder if Eddy or Ed will every change. If they keep this up, they're going to be considered real weirdos and never get girlfriends"

Despite not doing a single thing, in Jonny's head, Plank made a response that surprised the teen. "What do you mean by that? I can get a girlfriend. I just don't like any of the girls at school" Jonny protested, Plank's response having apparently been some wise ass response about Jonny being no better than the Eds. Had anyone else been there, it would have been scary at how Plank seemed to be the rationale voice that picked up on Jonny's flaws. However, with Jonny being the only one there, the thought didn't cross anyone's mind.

Getting a little grumpy at the way his 'friend' was talking to him, Jonny stood up. "You know what Plank, it's getting late. You're just tired and need to unravel from the day's events. I'll lock the door and go grab us a snack to eat before bed"

Jonny easily locked the deadbolt on the front door, insuring noone without a key would be able to get in, before heading to the kitchen. A frown still hung on his face, irritated at Plank's apparent attitude. However, he quickly dismissed it. He himself had pointed out it was an exhausting day. After getting a snowball to the face, Jonny went to go get lunch. He tried sitting with Kevin, Nazz, and Rolf, but they quickly finished their meals and left after he sat down. He didn't understand why they had become so cold to him. He figured it was just a phase and they'd get over it.

Sighing as he thought over how exhausting things went with the others, there was one other thing that really got to him. Apparently the Kankers were in another fit today, because as soon as the Cul-de-sac kids arrived home on the bus, they found the trio of menacing women waiting in their truck. They made it very clear that they wanted to know something about some new kid Jonny had never seen or heard of before. It didn't help that Marie, who appeared to be the one driving this interrogation, had only described him as a mysterious guy wearing a black hoodie and white scarf.

The kids had to stand out there for an hour in the cold before they finally convinced the Kankers they knew nothing about the guy. Marie made it clear though that if they ever learned anything about this guy, they were to tell them. If they did, then they'd get a free pass for a future beating. If they didn't, and the Kankers found out they withheld information, they'd make sure there would be repercussions.

Regardless, it was past him, so he could relax now. Picking up a tray that had two mugs of hot chocolate and some cookies, Jonny went to retrieve Plank. "It looks like mom forgot to buy chocolate chip, so we'll have to deal with oatmeal raisins tonight Plank" Jonny told his one true friend, even if the snack wouldn't matter at all for the piece of wood.

However, Jonny's concern over the variety of cookie he had was soon unimportant to him as he felt a chill in the air. Looking up, he found the front door was wide open. Had it been closer to Christmas, Jonny would have ignored it considering he took the entire door off to let nature in. However, he knew he just locked that door, so the fact it was wide open struck fear into his heart. Looking to the couch, Jonny dropped the tray, allowing the hot chocolate to spill all over the floor. Rushing to the other side of the couch, Jonny's fears were confirmed when he found Plank missing.

"Plank!" the male teen shouted in fear, rushing out the door as soon as he was sure Plank hadn't just fallen over again. His heart was beating so hard in concern for his friend, it was as though someone was beating a drum between his ears. It didn't help he couldn't remember just how long he took making the snacks. It took some time making the hot chocolate, so whoever had taken Plank could have made some heavy distance by now.

Eyes scanning the front yard, Jonny tried to find some sign of the perpetrator, but couldn't find a thing. There was only one thing he could think of doing at this time. Rushing next door, Jonny began pounding on the door, trying to get his neighbor's attention. Soon, the door was opened by Rolf, who looked through sleepy eyes. "Jonny the wood boy? Why have you come to Rolf's door at this hour? We have school tomorrow" Rolf questioned his neighbor.

"You got to help me Rolf! Plank's been abducted! Someone just broke through my front door and snapped him up!" Jonny cried.

While Rolf had been warned by Kevin that indulging in Jonny's obsession with Plank was bad, the terror on the boy's face forced him to act. "Rolf shall help you. Tell Rolf, did you see who did or where they went?"

"No! I just went into the kitchen to make a snack and when I returned Plank was gone! The front door, which I just locked, was wide open too! I don't know where the criminal went!" Jonny cried, the desperation on his face growing more passionate by the second.

"Rolf see's. Rolf shall go fetch Wilfred and we shall hunt down the wood thief" Rolf assured his fellow Urban Ranger.

As Rolf went back inside to get his pig, others were starting to leave their dwellings, curious as to what was going on. "Jonny, dude, what are you yelling outside Rolf's house for? I'm trying to catch some Z's" Kevin questioned the shorter boy.

"Like, yeah dude. I need my beauty sleep, and it's hard to do so with you shouting" Nazz complained, rubbing the bridge over her nose with her index finger and thumb.

"It's Plank guys! Someone took Plank right out of my house! We need to find him before something happens to him" Jonny continued to shout.

Kevin nodded as he maneuvered his way around Jonny, entering Rolf's house. The foreign boy was on his way back with Wilfred when Kevin stopped him. "Dude, what are you doing? Helping Jonny find that piece of wood isn't cool man. It's getting seriously bogus the way he's acting right now" Kevin confronted his friend.

"Rolf knows this. However, Rolf can also see that Jonny the wood boy will not stop talking about the wood until he has it again. None of us will go to bed tonight if we don't find it" Rolf countered.

Scratching the back of his head, Kevin conceded. "Yeah, you got a point there man. Lets find the block before it gets too late"

With the little argument over dealing with Jonny out of the way, the teens got to work tracking down Plank. Rolf held Wilfred up to Jonny, allowing the pig to drag its snout across his head, intaking the boy's scent of timber. When Rolf let Wilfred down, the pig let out a shocking squeal before running off. It wasn't hard for them to follow seeing as Wilfred had grown a bit fatter the past few years, making it harder to move around.

Wilfred led the group away from their houses, and the Cul-de-sac in general. He reached the street before cutting left. Kevin, who was only in this to get back to bed, started wondering where they were going. He could really care less about Plank, but they weren't heading to the school and town was the other way. The only thing in this direction was the playground, and what used to be the construction site, now known as Peach Creek Estates. Most of the houses there were just about finished, they only needed to add a few things now.

However, his focus on the development disappeared when he noticed something. As they approached it, Kevin took notice to an unnatural glow from the playground. He'd seen the glow before. Last year after Peach Creek went to State, they held a bonfire in front of the school. Curiousity gave into realization when Kevin saw the playground was where Wilfred was leading them.

As soon as they reached the fence, all four of them could see the cause. Someone had started a fire in front of the slide. It was more similiar to a campfire than the bonfire Kevin had thought of, but that didn't stop them from rushing toward it. Wilfred stopped right before it, staring into the blaze. Such a bright flame in the dark made it hard to focus on details, but Kevin tried to scan the fire, hoping to find what he knew w as there before Jonny did.

"PLANK!"

It was too late. Kevin followed Jonny's gaze right onto the piece of wood in the middle of the fire, helping to fuel the blaze. While it was hard to distinguish it from any other piece of wood, especially as the fire began to turn the light brown of the wood to black, there was the noticeable color of Plank's face on one board. The little screw hole at the bottom helped to confirm it was Jonny's imaginary friend.

"Somebody help him! He's going to burn to death!" Jonny pleaded, looking to the others for help. When they only looked at him grimly, Jonny turned to the fire and made a decision. Lunging forward, he tried to grab Plank from the fire, hoping he could save him before he was completely charred. Thankfully, Kevin had good reflexes from playing sports, instantly grabbing the much less stable boy before he got himself burnt. "Let go of me! I need to help him! I need to help Plank!" Jonny cried, trying to struggle free from their grasp, but unable to overpower them.

"Let it go Jonny! Plank is... Plank is already gone! There's nothing you can do for him besides not killing yourself!" Kevin reasoned, trying to use whatever logic he could to keep Jonny from getting hurt.

Jonny continued to thrash around, trying to get to his friend. However, as the fire continued to burn on, Plank's 'body' began to char all over. When the last bit of his face, one of his eyes, burnt away, Jonny went limp. Feeling he wouldn't do anything else, Kevin let go of Jonny, letting him fall to his knees before the fire. The others stood around him, watching as he cried over his best friend. They weren't sure if its was minutes or hours, but they kept their eyes on Jonny, making sure he didn't do anything. And he didn't. He only knelt there, mourning the loss of his wooden friend.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Ed and Eddy stood at the end of the Cul-de-sac, waiting for the bus. While Ed occupied himself with a new handheld video game, Eddy was looking into the Cul-de-sac, trying to find out where the other kids were. He never thought about it much, but part of his morning routine had involved listening to Kevin and Nazz talk about what it was like to be popular kids, all the latest stuff and all. He'd try to figure out what the coolest thing was so he could imitate it. They were usually here before him and Ed, seeing as the two were very slow when it came to getting up in the morning.<p>

Then, he saw something. Kevin, Nazz, and Rolf were all leaving Jonny's house. The fact they were all in one house this early was weird enough, but remembering how they had started distancing themselves from Jonny made things even weirder. As they got closer, Eddy could see concern on all their faces. Had he been a more sympathetic person, he might nave backed off. However, being just who he was, Eddy rushed toward them.

"Hey, what were all of you doing at Jonny's? I thought you said the guy was more annoying than me" Eddy demanded to know.

Kevin, without bothering to stop or even give him a look, merely mumbled "Noone's more annoying than you, Eddy"

Grunting, Eddy looked back to Jonny's house, then to the others again. "Speaking of old melon-head, where is he? Playing hookie today or something?" Eddy asked. Kevin paused for a second, but kept moving. That one movement was all Eddy needed to see in order to know he was on the right check. "Seriously, something's going on with basketball-head, isn't there? If you don't tell me, I'm just going to keep asking"

Rolling his eyes in annoyance, Kevin knew Eddy wasn't lying. "Listen here Dorky, Jonny's not coming to school today or tomorrow. Chances are he won't come back for at least a weak" Kevin finally answered.

Eyes bugging out from the response, Eddy's curiousity only piqued further. "What happened to him? He get pneumonia or something?"

"It's just... Plank's not with him anymore" the jock reluctantly declared.

"Plank? What, his parents go out of town and Plank in the car again? I swear, if the kid can't deal with being away from that hunk of wood for one day, what is he going to do when he gets older? Eventually he'll lose Plank and never get him back and then he'll be stuck like the doofus he is" Eddy began berating the absent male.

Finding Eddy's insults toward Jonny to be too much, Kevin grabbed him by the collar and held him, shaking him a little to make sure Eddy was focused on nothing but him. "Listen here dork! I was never a fan of Jonny believing that Plank was real, but he doesn't deserve to insulted by a slimy, weasily dork like you! So shut up and leave it be!"

When Kevin dropped him on the ground, Eddy cast him a dirty look. There was no logical reason as to why he'd get so upset over a guy he basically ditched for being weird. After a minute, Eddy picked up on something Kevin said. He may not have been a genius, or even good in English class, but he knew the difference between past tense and present tense. "Hey Kev, what did you mean by 'I never was a fan'? Are you saying that you've suddenly had a change of heart or what?"

The grimace on Kevin's face told everyone that Eddy sticking his nose too far into other people's business. To make sure Kevin didn't get in trouble for attacking Eddy, Nazz decided to intervene. "It's serious Eddy. Last night, Jonny kept us all up when Plank went missing. When we found him, he was... on fire"

Eddy was shocked by the revelation, and even Ed had to look away from his game when he heard about what happened to Plank. While Eddy could care less about the piece of wood, all of the Cul-de-sac kids, Kankers included, had a sort of agreement where they wouldn't do anything to Plank, even if Jonny's obsesssion weirded them out. Whoever did this was a terrible person who didn't care about others' feelings.


	5. Accidental Reunion

Disclaimer: I do not own Ed, Edd, N' Eddy.

Chapter 5: Accidental Reunion

It irritated him. It wracked his brain and clouded his mind. Third period had just finished and he was still thinking about it. Ever since Nazz told him that someone used Plank for firewood, Eddy couldn't think about anything else. Caring for others wasn't something that Eddy did, but the fact somebody did that was outrageous. What really got him was when Nazz went into further detail about it on the bus.

She explained how this wasn't an accident. Someone didn't just mistake Plank for a piece of timber they could use to set a fire. How the perpetrator had broken into the house, took Plank to the playground, and set him ablaze there. This meant that whoever was behind it knew what Plank meant to Jonny. They did this because they knew how devastated Jonny would be. The only question was, who would do this?

Only the Cul-de-sac kids really knew Jonny at all, and none of them would do it. Even the Kankers, who had been terrorizing them for years, wouldn't do something to Plank. Everyone knew about Jonny's dependence on him and wouldn't do anything that cruel. But this person knew all of this and went so far as to break into Jonny's house to get rid of Plank. And why would they do this? Jonny had never done anything to anyone.

So caught up in these thoughts, Eddy wasn't even aware of Coach Klyne, a towering man wearing grey sweats and a red baseball cap, approach him from behind. "Sampson! What the hell were you thinking!" the irate coach roared, catching Eddy offguard and giving warning to any other student to avoid the man.

"Wh- Coach Klyne? What's going on?" Eddy asked, confused by the educator's outburst.

"Don't play dumb Sampson, I heard about your little snowball hit service from yesterday. Nurse Madison told me that three kids came to her from injuries received from your little scheme" Coach Klyne announced. This declaration earned Eddy some hateful looks from some of the students who overheard, apparently being some of the victims of the snowball attacks.

"Hey, I didn't throw a snowball. Ed did all the dirty work, I just raked in the cash" Eddy admitted, not realizing he was still confessing to the unwarranted act.

"Everyone knows Ed's just your lackey. You're coming with me to the principal's office so we can 'discuss' this with her" the physical education instructor commanded. Without allowing Eddy another word, Coach Klyne lifted him up by the back of his jacket and carried him off to the principal's office. The entire trip was embarrassing, being handled like some sort of animal instead of another person. It was worse when Eddy actually heard a few kids laugh at his situation.

A few minutes later, the two had arrived at the principal's office, the door wide open to show Principal Jackson, an African American woman with long black hair and wearing a blue work suit, sitting at her desk. Looking up, Principal Jackson sighed, having met Eddy enough times that she even knew what his interests out of school were. "Hello Eddy, Coach Klyne. I don't suppose this is just a friendly visit, is it?"

"Afraid not Ms. Jackson. Nurse Madison just told me how a few kids got injured because another one of Eddy's little' get rich quick plans the other day. I thought you'd want to talk to him" Coach Klyne explained.

"I'd really rather not" Ms. Jackson sighed, holding her head in her hands for a second.

"Well, since you don't want to talk about this, and I don't want to talk about this, why don't we just not talk about this?" Eddy suggested. The irritated look from the school's principal that his opinion on the matter wasn't wanted.

"Eddy, can you avoid getting in trouble for one day? You're in my office more often than I am because of you consistent bad behavior. I'm not sure what to do since detention doesn't seem to be working. I'm starting to consider suspension at this rate" Ms. Jackson stated, making Eddy grimace at the very thought. Honestly, Eddy didn't see how it was a punishment. The school was telling you that you didn't have to show up for a day or more. But Eddy knew that if he got suspended, his parents would be informed, and he'd be punished by them for getting suspended.

"You don't have to suspend me. The snowball hit service was a bum anyways. Someone told everyone who hired us to attack them, so the people who hired us got angry at me and demanded their money back, so I won't be doing that again" Eddy conceded.

Getting angry at Eddy's nonchalant attitude, Ms. Jackson rose from her seat and pointed a finger at the defiant student. "Listen here Eddy. You're becoming a problem for the student and faculty. Just because you 'learned a lesson' doesn't mean you're not going to get punished. You're going to-"

"Ms. Jackson, come quick! Some seniors started a fight in Mr. Roger's classroom!" the receptionist from the front office interrupted.

"Must be Hilton and Arnolds again. Damn kids" Coah Klyne cursed, not caring if there was a minor in the room.

"Lets break this up before anyone gets hurt" Ms. Jackson sighed, finding today to be far too eventful for her taste. As she and Coach Klyne left, she turned to Eddy one last time. "You're off the hook this time Eddy, but if you're in my office one more time this week, you're going to be suspended for a week" the principal threatened.

When the adults were gone, Eddy let out a relieved sigh. He thought he was really going to be in trouble there. Seeing as it was Thursday anyways, Eddy knew he could stay out of the office. It was going to be one boring week though. He was about to leave when something caught his eye. Ms. Jackson had left her computer on. Not only was it on, but she had apparently been looking at student files. Eddy could care less about them, but thinking about how much trouble he had been in this year already, a wicked idea got in his head.

Closing the door so noone would just walk in on him, Eddy sat down in the principal's chair and used the computer. "Lets see if I can improve my records a bit" Eddy snickered to himself. Delete a few of his less than acceptable acts from the file, see if he could maybe boost a grade up a little, and he'd be pretty well off for a while. Thing was, the system wasn't looking at his file at the moment. It was Jonny's actually. Maybe Jonny's parents had called in and told Ms. Jackson the news about Plank and why Jonny would be absent for a while.

Regardless, Eddy already knew about Jonny and found it to be old news. Thankfully for him, there was a search engine that would allow him to instantly look for his own name. Not being big on computers though, Eddy had to check the keyboard for each letter. When he typed in E, he found that the search engine was one that listed potential results, seeing an Earl at the top of the list. When he typed in D, he was expecting only two results, seeing how he and Ed were the only Edwards in the school. This was where he was met with a surprise. There was another Edward in the list, except spelled slightly different.

Eddward. Eddward Vincent to be exact. There was only one person who would have an extra D at the start of their name. Eddy wanted to pass it off as a left over from when Double D was still in Peach Creek, but he remembered that Double D was sent away before he entered high school. Driven by curiousity, Eddy selected the link, wanting to figure out why the school would have a record for Double D.

When the file opened up, there wasn't much. It held his record from Peach Creek Jr. High, which was as spotless as one would expect. Then there was something from Orange River Juvenile Correctional Facility. Eddy couldn't understand most of it, seeing as they used a lot of big words that only Double D would have been able to translate for him. He was able to understand a few things from it though. He entered the facility, as ordered by the court. There were different records regarding all sorts of things. Medical, continued education, behavioral analysis, and so on. One thing Eddy noticed was that there were a lot of dates listed in the early part of the medical record, almost immediately after he got there. Surprisingly, there seemed to be no more dates added in the medical record besides mandatory check ups.

He mostly skimmed the record, but he noticed one thing at the end of the Orange River portion. It basically stated that Double D had served his time in the facility for the full three years and was then released. There was only one more thing underneath that, which was added by Peach Creek High. It said that Double D had been enrolled in the school less than a week ago.

Pushing himself away from the computer, Eddy put a hand up to his mouth as he gasped. "H-he's back? He's been back for almost a week now?" the short Ed asked himself. He wasn't scared by Double D, even if he was the reason he had been in a cast and neck brace for a while. He knew it was an accident, but he did want to help his dad get some money for the family, which is why he supported the trial against Double D. What really shook him was that Double D had been there, but noone even knew.

Suddenly, the door to the office began to open, causing Eddy to jump. Grabbing the mouse and trying to get back to Jonny's file, Eddy began sputtering a defense. "W-w-welcome back Ms. Jackson! I dropped my phone in here and came back to get it, sorry to be in the way" Eddy lied.

However, when the door was fully open, he found that it wasn't the African American woman who acted as the principal for the school, but a teenage boy with a black hoodie and white scarf. "E-eh? Who are you? Why did you come to the principal's office? And without knocking, that's really rude man" Eddy began chastising the individual, hoping to get them to ignore the fact he was on Ms. Jackson's computer.

The boy ignored Eddy's comment and stepped inside the office, closing the door behind him. The very act confused Eddy, who wasn't sure what this guy wanted. "Aren't you the one being rude, Eddy? Playing with someone else's stuff and snapping at someone when you're the one at fault? Of course, I suppose you've always been like this" the boy stated, further putting Eddy in the dark.

"Listen bud, if you want to talk in riddles or whatever, be my guest. Just don't expect me to listen" Eddy told the stranger, moving to leave the room.

The boy didn't move to stop Eddy, allowing him to get to the door. However, the second he hear the doorknob turning, he spoke once more. "It's a shame that when we meet again for the first time in three years, you don't even want to get to know your old friend"

Eddy froze, eyes widening in absolute shock. Shakily turning his head to the other teen, Eddy asked "A-are you r-really-"

"Yes Eddy, it's me" the teen cut the shorter male off. The boy turned to meet Eddy's gaze, and while the way he dressed and wore his hear almost completely hid his face, Eddy could see the glimmer of a smile in the teen's eye. "Eddward Vincent, but you may still call me Double D" the boy confirmed, revealing he was the brainiac of the Ed trio who had been gone for three years. Resting a hand on Eddy's shoulder, Double D made sure Eddy couldn't leave as he continued speaking. "I believe we have some important things to discuss. There's a lot of catching up after three years"


	6. Helping Others

Disclaimer: I do not own Ed, Edd, N' Eddy.

Chapter 6: Helping Others

Eddy eyed Double D carefully, as though he was looking at a hungery lion instead of a person. They were at lunch now, seeing as Double D insisted they attend to classes before they began discussing whatever it was he wanted to talk about, so they were to meet up at lunch. Before they split up earlier, Double D also told Eddy not to tell anyone he was back, so now that it was just the two of them outside, sitting on one of the benches, and Eddy was dying to know what it was Double D had in store.

What was even stronger than is desire to hear what Double D wanted to say was his desire to ask him some questions actually. Eddy was having a hard time believing this was Double D. No sock hat. Limbs thicker than a twig. The fact he wasn't speaking like dictionary that was vomitting up every word it could. These were all things that Eddy couldn't picture in combination with Double D.

Before Double D spoke, he looked around the back of the school building, trying to spot something. "Where's Ed?"

"Was I supposed to bring him? You said not to tell anyone you were back" Eddy asked.

"You did the right thing. I was just curious if he was going to follow you here, seeing as he has a hard time being away from friends" Double D pointed out.

"Right. Well, I told him I was planning something for his birthday and it would ruin the surprise if he was here" Eddy explained.

"His birthday's not for another few months"

"It's alright. He'll forget by the end of the day and I won't have to worry about anything" Eddy assured his friend. Or former friend. He wasn't quite sure where they stood at the moment.

Double D made a sound, but Eddy couldn't tell if it was something good or bad. "As I've observed, you've changed very little since I left. Hell, the only changes I've seen have been cosmetic" Double D said.

Eddy was surprised by the fact that Double D cursed, but even he was more focused on what Double D was saying. "You sound like that's a bad thing. What, have you changed for the better or something?" Eddy curiously questioned the teen.

"I won't act like I'm perfect or that every change I've undergone has been for the best, but I'd say I've only become a better person" Double D stated, his eye glaring at Eddy with passion. Eddy didn't know everything that had happened to Double D, and he didn't want to, but he could see in his eye that he was really different.

Shifting uncomfortably, Eddy asked "So, what has changed then? Besides the look. I kind of doubted you'd give up the sock hat, but to go ahead and wrap your face up like that, you look like a freaking mummy"

"I'd simply prefer noone realize that I'm back. For now at least. When I've decided, I'll let everyone know I've returned" the hooded boy said.

Narrowing his eyes at the other Ed, Eddy pressed on. "What's with the whole secretive act anyways? Why hide from us? I read on your file that you've been back for nearly a week. Do you not want to be around us anymore or something?"

When Double D let out a chuckle, Eddy was thrown off once more. Looking into the distance, Double D's eye fixated on a mother leading her child along the sidewalk. Not even looking at Eddy, Double D said "It's been three years Eddy. I don't know what's happened in my absence. It's scary. People you knew could be completely different. Everything you once knew could be different. But, imagine my shock, when I come back and find nothing's changed. You're still greedy, Ed's still a loveable oaf, Kevin's still a jock, Nazz is still a ditzy blonde, and so on"

"Isn't that good? I mean, you don't have to worry about trying to adjust to everybody being different than you remembered" Eddy pointed out. It seemed like Double D was just being weird. If he was worried about everybody changing and found they were the same, then he should be relieved. Yet here he was, acting like things were bad.

"And that would be all fine and dandy if I had just moved to another neighborhood for a few years" Double D responded, tearing his eye away from the mother and child so he could let Eddy see his occular orb, the window to his soul. "But I didn't just move away. I was sent to an institution. An institution I was in for three years. I'm sixteen Eddy. Three years is nearly one fifth of my life at this time. So while nobody here changed, there was no way I could change"

Eddy was starting to understand where Double D was going with this. "So you're saying that you changing and us remaining the same as use changing?"

"That's what I would have once thought, but not quite. The concern would have been adapting to everyone else, but now I realize that you guys are in trouble. You should be maturing, becoming smarter individuals that will one day be adults, yet you've remained the same children I last saw you as" Double D announced. The words angered Eddy. He knew he wasn't a genius like Double D, but he knew when he was being looked down upon. Everyone was looking down at him, and he wasn't just talking literally. The fact that Double D, someone who once saw him as an equal individual, was acting like he was better than him was irritating.

"You're the one who went to jail and you think you're better than everyone? You sound like a damn hypocrite" Eddy growled.

"It was a juvenile correctional facility, not jail. Regardless, I am better than you" Double D said flatly, the bluntness of the statement surprising Eddy. "I'm not so egotistical to believe myself better than others, but when people refuse to move forward, then they're no longer at my level". Seeing the anger and confusion on Eddy's face, knowing that he didn't understand where he was going with this, Double D decided to explain. "I don't suppose you've ever heard of the Red Queen's Hypothesis?"

Eddy's blank look and lack of response was enough of an answer for Double D. "It's a theory of evolution taken from Lewis Caroll's _Through the Looking-Glass_. In it, Alice, who you might remember from Disney's _Alice in Wonderland_, is racing the Red Queen. No matter how fast they move though, they never get anywhere. The Red Queen explains that they have to run simply to stay in the race. For the theory of evolution, this means that species must keep evolving just to remain in existence, lest they be overtaken by other species"

"Why are you talking about all this stuff? It doesn't matter to us. Humans are the best species around and we always will, because we got these" Eddy declared, waving his thumbs in front of him.

"Against other species, we are at the top, but we should keep evolving. However, that is not the point I'm making. On a smaller scale, I believe people need to keep evolving in a sense. We must keep growing, not only physically, but emotionally and mentally. You won't get anywhere in this world if you never even try to progress. I know I will continue, but everyone I once knew will fall behind at this rate. As a humanitarian, I can't allow that" Double D clarified.

Raising an eyebrow in interest, Eddy asked "So you're going to help us move forward or whatever?"

"Precisely. I will do what I can to help all of you grow"

"If you're going to do that, then why not talk to everyone?" Eddy pondered. If Double D simply wanted to help them, then approaching everyone would probably help make things easier. Acting like some mysterious stranger seemed like it'd hinder his attempts.

"Because, if everyone knew I was helping them, they might try to stop me at some point" Double D replied, further confusing the shorter Ed. Knowing Eddy wouldn't get it, he continued with his explanation. "Helping someone doesn't always looke like help. Unintentionally, you and your family helped me grow by sending me to Orange River. I grew in ways I probably wouldn't have if I stayed in the Cul-de-sac. I may even be stuck in the same position at you. With the kind of help I have in mind for everyone, they would likely try to stop me before I could do anything. That is why I want to remain unnoticed for now"

While he was unsure if he wanted to know what it was Double D had in mind, Eddy knew he was included in this little 'Help the Cul-de-sac kids grow' idea that Double D had, so he had to question him. "What kind of help are you going that you think people would try to stop?"

"What may work better would be an example. I've already helped Jonny move forward" Double D answered. It took a moment for Eddy to process what Double D was saying. He had already helped Jonny? The only thing that had happened to Jonny was-

"You're the one that set Plank on fire!" Eddy shouted in shock and horror. A simple nod from Double D was the only response he received this time. "Wh-why would you do that! Noone, not even the Kankers, have touched Plank like that before! That couldn't possibly help him! I mean, he's at home right now, grieving over that hunk of wood!"

Double D let out an exasperated sigh, signalling he was somewhat irritated with Eddy's shouting. Or perhaps it was the questions themselves. Rising from the bench, Double D stood in front of Eddy, which somehow made Eddy realize how serious Double D was. "Jonny was fixated on an inanimate object. He believed that Plank was a livining when he was only the remains of a once living tree. I can understand how at one point, Plank may have simply been a part of the imaginary friend phase all children go through, but Jonny never moved out of that phase. When I last saw him, he was already dangerously rooted into his belief that Plank was a living entity. Had he received treatment that weaned him off of Plank, then maybe he would have been able to move on peacefully. However, I find that three years have passed and he still has Plank, and I know that the same treatment from before wouldn't work"

"I have to blame his parents for this. Allowing their child to continue this relationship with a piece of wood has only nursed the problem into a condition. Jonny himself is at blame for not trying to make any attempt to move one when he realized that others were becoming uncomfortable with his behavior. I also blame all of you for merely abandoning him, instead of trying to help rectify the situation. With noone else working to remedy Jonny's lack of maturity, I had to make a major move. I had to effectively kill Plank. I understand that doing so has hurt him deeply, but after some time, he will begin to heal. I wil lhave to follow up on things, but in all I know that what I did was for the best" Double D explained his role in the destruction of Jonny's only friend.

For what felt like hours, Eddy could only gawk at Double D. He had admitted to burning Plank, but that wasn't the most shocking thing. He believed that by setting Plank ablaze, he was somehow helping Jonny out. What went even further was that he was blaming everyone, the kids, Jonny's parents, and Jonny himself, for supposedly allowing Jonny to get worse. Eddy wasn't sure if he should believe Double D was just conceited or if he was insane.

Heading back inside, Double D left Eddy with one last thing to think about. "I understand that you may not agree with my methods. I doubt anybody would understand where I'm coming from. However, I've made it my duty to assist everyone, no matter how painful it may be for them to grow"


	7. Weekend Worries

Disclaimer: I do not own Ed, Edd, N' Eddy.

Chapter 7: Weekend Worries

Things were in motion constantly. Double D found never found an interest in malls before, seeing as he allowance had meager enough that even obtaining jawbreakers had required effort, so the overpriced items sold in malls were out of his range. Yet, now he found he could simply enjoy the presence of the mall. Allowing himself to relax while others were moving to get whatever they could afford on the weekend seemed blissful.

Resting in the food court, he pulled down the white scarf he had kept around his mouth for over a week now, allowing him to enjoy the orange-mango smoothie he purchased. While nobody saw him, Double D knew some would be surprised how mature his body had become over time, especially since that gap between his teeth had finally been fixed. The smoothie delicious, but the drink's already cold temperature felt freezing in the back of the right side of his mouth. Poking the spot with his tongue, he felt how sensitive the gums were there. The spot once housed a molar, but during his time in Orange River, the tooth had been forced out due to one of many incidents.

Leaning back, Double D let out a sigh. It was good to be out of Orange River, but at the same time, it was sad he had to go. He enjoyed his freedom and distance from some of the individuals there, but he had also learned so much and even experienced some joy. The hardest thing to accept since leaving was the fact his former associates were no different than when he had last seen them. He was expecting some of the same personality, but none of them had matured at all in his absence.

Knowing that his own hard experiences in Orange River were what changed him for the best, Double D had made the decision that he would assist the others in growing up. Getting rid of Plank was already what Jonny needed. He knew he'd have to follow up on it and make sure Jonny make some actual friends when he got over the loss of Plank, but for the most part he was cured of his affliction. He knew what the others needed to change, but he still needed to solidify a plan to assist everyone individually.

"Hey you!" a commanding voice shouted from behind Double D.

While a lot of people addressed a lot of other individuals, the tone and sheer volume told Double D it was directed at him. While he fixed his scarf to cover the lower half of his face again, Double D noticed that kids sitting at tables around him were starting to leave. Not all of them had finished their food, but when they saw who it was that was approaching Double D, they got moving. Looking back, Double D spotted a familiar, red haired female.

Lee Kanker

"Yeah, you with the hood and scarf. I need to speak to you" Lee commanded, making sure Double D didn't leave his table. Looking around, Double D tried to find the other Kanker Sisters, but found that Lee was alone. "If you're looking for a way out, don't bother. I know you got to my school, so I'll find you regardless" Lee threatened the teen.

"I wouldn't dream of it" Double D replied calmly, making it clear to Lee he wasn't going to split. However, he really wanted to get out of there. As he told Eddy, he planned on reintroducting himself to everyone when he felt it was right, but now was not the time. Especially with one of the Kankers. Given that he had dealt with rougher individuals in Oranger River, he doubted a conflict with Lee would do any good for his plans.

Taking a seat across from him, Lee said "You better not. I have a few questions for you"

While nervous about blowing his cover, Double D maintined a calm facade. "If there's anything I can help you with, then I'm more than willing to assist you with it"

"We'll see about that. First off, do you know who I am?" Lee asked.

"I've heard about you around school. You're one of those Kanker girls, right? I'm trying to place the name. The red head starts with an L. Layla? Leena was it?" Double D feigned ignorance.

"Close on the last one. It's Lee, just Lee" the Kanker corrected him.

Slapping his forehead lightly, Double D said "Ah! So close! Ah, well, what can I help you with Lee?"

"More like you can help my sister, Marie. She wanted to talk to you, but she's working right now and I don't know if she'll catch you later, so you're going to answer some of the questions she's had about you for me" Lee explained.

"Whether it's you or your sister, I would be happy to help" Double D chuckled. Despite his words, he was cursing at himself inside. He had one, only one, run in with Marie. She didn't even get a good look at his partially exposed face, yet she was asking about him! She shouldn't know who he was, but whether it was women's intuition or some kind of animalistic instinct, she knew he was someone she had interest in and was now trying to learn about him.

While her eyes were covered by her hair, Double D felt himself being eyed by the head Kanker. Then, she pointed at his smoothie and asked "Are you going to drink that?"

A somewhat amused laugh escaped Double D's mouth before he replied "Take it. It's a bit too cold for my liking anyway"

Double D watched Lee take the drink, pop the top off, and quickly down it. It was a humorous sight to say the least, but it reminded him that the Kankers were included in his list of people he needed to assist. They would be among the hardest to help seeing as their hostility made them nearly impossible to approach. Furthermore, with Marie's apparent interest in him, it would make it harder for him to act without their attention.

Wiping whatever remains of the smoothie had become smeared around her mouth with her arm, Lee went back to eyeing Double D. "So tell me, what's your name?" Lee began the true interrogation.

"Vincent, but some old friends of mine call me DS" Double D answered. Not a bit of it was a lie. She never specified for his first name, so he could easily slide by with Vincent, which worked as a first name as well as a last. As for DS, some of the boys from Orange River gave it to him. They heard Double D and pointed out how, being as smart as he was, the more advanced method of squaring a number over simply multiplying it by two was a larger testament to his intelligence, so they called him D Squared, or DS for short. It had made him chuckle and opened his eyes when a group of delinquents put a more complex view of his name than the people he had known outside the facility.

"Alright DS, how long have you been in Peach Creek?"

"About a week now" Double D replied. As much as he'd hope, he knew these general questions weren't all that he was going to be asked.

"Where do you live?"

There was the first hardball. Even if he wanted to lie, which he was trying to avoid as much as possible, Lee could always check to see if he was telling the truth or not. "Well, Peach Creek obviously" he jokingly replied.

"Don't be a smartass. Where in Peach Creek?" Lee growled, not pleased with his attempt at avoiding the question.

"Ah, just this small little cul-de-sac. It's on... something Avenue. Rachester? Ralen? Ra-something. Again, I haven't been here too long. I'll write it down and give it to you the next time we meet" Double D maneuvered through the question. The nod of approval from Lee told him it was just good enough to get by with this time.

"Well then, have you made any friends yet?" Lee pressed on.

"Not really. I have a few associates, but I can't say I have any friends"

"Hm. So, what time are you going to pick my sister up for your date tomorrow?" Lee asked.

This one threw Double D completely off. Kankers were aggressive and forward, but he never expected any of them to essentially declare someone had a date with one of the sisters when she wasn't even there to confirm it was what she wanted. "I wasn't aware we made any plans to go out"

"This wasn't exactly one of the things she told me to ask you, but she's clearly interested in you. And ever since her man disappeared three years ago, she's been left out when me and May are getting it on with our men, so I thought she should go on a date with the first guy she's had interest in for years. So I'll ask again, when will you pick her up tomorrow?" Lee reiterated.

Smiling frowning under his scarf, Double D's mind worked in overtime to avoid this situation. "I'm sorry to say, but I have plans tomorrow. I've got this project that I need to work on tomorrow. I'll take a raincheck though". Once more, not a lie, seeing as his plans to assist with the growth of others was a project of sorts.

"Fine. Then you'll take her out next Sunday, or do you have an excuse to avoid her then?" the red haired girl demanded to know, leaning forward to further eye Double D through her locks.

Knowing every move to avoid interaction with the Kankers was going to further anger Lee, Double D replied "Sure, I'll take her out next Sunday. I need to check my schedule for the time, but I'll talk to her at school about it. If I can't find her, then can get an address or phone number so I can still contact you?"

As Lee smiled and searched her purse for a scrap piece of paper and something to write with, Double D relaxed a little. He still didn't want to go on a date with Marie, but if he had a week, he could at least prepare himself to avoid any situations or questions that might prematurely reveal his true identity. Perhaps he planned things correctly, he could even take advantage of the situation and use Marie or all the Kankers in his work to make the others grow up.

Sliding a small slip of paper across the table to Double D, Lee stood up, apparently done with her business here. "Make sure you get in touch with her, because if I find out you tried to weasel your way out of this, there'll be hell to pay" Lee clarified, cracking her knuckles to make the point clear.

"I wouldn't dream of it. Besides, it'd be nice to make some friends here" Double D answered nonchalantly, throwing in a laugh for good measure.

As Lee left, Double D looked at the slip of paper. Already, his brain was teeming with a number of different ways he could potentially make use of this situation. However, he would have to make use of those plans for the future, because as he had told Lee, he was going to continue his efforts tomorrow. He already knew who he was going to help next and how he was going to help them.


	8. In The Eye Of The Beholder

Disclaimer: I do not own Ed, Edd, N' Eddy.

Chapter 8: In The Eye Of The Beholder

Another normal day had come to Peach Creek, and despite the turmoil of Jonny's Plank situation, Nazz had found it was as good a time as any to go shopping. Most would consider it a bit petty, but it was a sound method to escape the reality of the incident. Sure, Nazz had always found Johnny weird, and he had only become weirder in her eyes as he grew older, still clinging to the piece of wood like it was a living, breathing friend. However, Johnny, like all the boys from Cul-de-sac had a special place in her heart. Given that she only loved Kevin romantically, but the boys were all like brothers to her. This was the first time something this bad had happened since Double D had left.

Shaking her head, Nazz questioned why she even thought about him. She wasn't even sure anything bad had happened to him. As far as she knew, someone from a fancy school had finally taken notice of Double D's brilliance and he was in some boarding school. It was just... odd for her to think about him at all. He hadn't crossed her mind since a few weeks since his disappearance. She'd probably have forgotten about him sooner had Marie not made a point of investigating his disappearance.

The mere thought of what Marie was willing to do in order to get info out of people made Nazz shudder and shake her head again. She wasn't at the mall to remember bad things. She came there to forget about the most recent tragedy and try to have fun. Given, it was a bit disappointing that most of her girl friends from school couldn't show up, but she was happy to have Sarah and Jimmy tag along.

Like everyone from the Cul-de-sac, the two had changed very little personality wise. Sarah was still a loud mouth brat who was otherwise overly enthusiastic for anything she labeled as fun. Jimmy was still the submissive, fairly effeminate boy who followed Sarah around as though she was the only life line he had, but his meek, womanly interests made him good for these outings.

Appearance wise, they hadn't changed too much either. Jimmy was still thinner than most boys were, still had his curly little hair, and had only changed his attired by moving up to a blue turtleneck sweater, khakis with a black belt, white dress shoes, and had finally gotten past the need for braces. Sarah's clothes consisted of a tighter set of jeans, orange sneakers, and a pink blouse. Her upgrade in attire was at Jimmy's insistence, but Sarah fought him as well on the matter. Otherwise, she'd be wearing a yellow sundress and heels half the time.

To Nazz, it wasn't much fun hanging around the two, seeing as all the things she found fun and cool were things she was interested in three years ago. But, it was better than going to the mall alone. Besides, the two had agreed to reimburse her for gas money, which was basically spare cash for her seeing as her parents paid for all her gas expenses. And again, the constant chatter the two made was a welcome distraction form the latest predicament.

"Thanks again Nazz for taking us to the mall. My stupid brother's so caught up in those old movies he got that he won't leave the house on weekends until he's seen them all" Sarah thanked the older girl with a small smile, her eyes darting from store to store.

"No problem, dude... but, uh, didn't your bro get a whole box of movies? That's going to take a while" Nazz pointed out.

"Not a box... a crate. Apparently our uncle on mom's side is a big horror, fantasy, sci-fi, whatever enthusiast as well. He's been collecting movies since they were kids and for some reason, he decided he's going to send all of his movies to Ed" Sarah sighed, shaking her head at the large amount of movies her brother recently received.

"An entire crate? That's insane. Sounds like he's going to be holed up for a while"

"Girls, girls! Please, enough of this talk!" Jimmy pleaded as he ran before the girls, turning to look back at them, his hands together. "We're here to have fun today, so why don't we do some shopping? I personally need to get a few new tops, a new pair of shoes, and maybe a little cover up for those nasty little zits I've been getting lately"

Nazz giggled while Sarah merely rolled her eyes. Jimmy's effeminate nature had raised a few questions since some of the kids discovered there was more than one sexual nature out there, but they never questioned it too much surprisingly. Sure, Jimmy was no fan of the other boys and vice-versa, but the guys knew he was just soft and frail. Everyone knew he had a thing for Sarah since years ago, but Sarah just didn't seem to reciprocate those feelings. Given that Jimmy never took the hint, but it wasn't like he was pushing his love onto her.

Taking the two girls' hands, he led them over to a department store. Not as fun as some of the conventional stores that teens would hang out in, but it did have a wide selection of clothes, make up, and so on. It would keep the three busy for a while. As the three entered the store, a fourth teen followed after them. This wouldn't be unusual or anything noteworthy considering it was a mall, the playground for teens, if the teen in question wasn't Double D, his exposed eye locked on Nazz in particular.

He said nothing as he watched her, his pace picking up so the distance between the two quickly began to disappear, yet did so as quietly as possible. If anyone was looking at them, they could assume Double D was about to do something to her. Strike her, grab her, anything due to the way he came up behind her so swiftly. Then, just as he was upon her, he stepped around Nazz and continued past her. Nazz, Jimmy, nor Sarah were aware of him at all, still caught up in what to consider buying first.

Giving a soft sigh, Double D strolled over to the make up counter of all things. The girl at the counter, the same age as Double D or Nazz, sat there lazily reorganizing the display. For the most part, she had to deal with older women trying to cover up signs of their age or girls who wanted to look classy and ended up looking trashy. When she saw Double D approaching her, she wasn't sure if she was getting something good or bad. A guy her age looking at make up was weird, especially when she couldn't even tell if he was good looking or not, but at least it was something out of the norm.

"Hello sir, how may I help you today?" the girl asked, standing up a bit straighter.

Beneath his scarf, Double gave a soft smile and leaned forward on the counter. "Hello there..." Double D started, his eyes drifting to the girl's chest, spotting the nametag "-Becky. First off, I'd like to see those pearly whites". Becky blinked for a moment, then giggled and blushed slightly as she gave a small smile. It was a simple request, not even good flirting material, but the way Double D spoke, she just felt something, which was just what Double D was aiming for.

Looking over his shoulder, Double D found that the trio of Cul-de-sac kids had gotten side tracked with some of the clothes on display. Just what he needed. Returning his attention to Becky, Double D hooked a finger down the front of the scarf and pulled it down so it was tucked just under his chin. While half his face was still covered by his hair, the fact he was showing some of his matured face, a bit more angular over the years of development, was just enough for the girl to tell he was to her liking.

"Now, I was sort of looking for something to give as a gift. Something that really will win me over, but it's got to be make up. She loves make up and the sort" the teenage boy stated. The words caused a small frown to appear on Becky's face, disinterest in the boy starting to appear on her face.

"I'm guessing this is for your girlfriend? A birthday gift or something?"

Double D chuckled and shook his head, looking Becky in the eyes "No, no, nothing like that. I don't have anyone like that. I just wanted to get my mother a thank you gift and she's been a little obsessed about appearances lately, so I figured make up might due the trick"

The admission to having no girlfriend resparked Becky's interest, causing a flirtatious smile to appear on her face once more. "Well, we have a lot of different kinds of make up. What were you looking for in particular?"

"I guess something that would cover any wrinkles. She's not that old, but she's getting a few wrinkles and that's just a no go for her, you know what I mean?... well, I guess you wouldn't with that kind of skin" Double D's response was. Yet again, he evoked a blush from Becky, causing the girl to shuffle on her feet a little.

"L-Like you said, I don't really know what sort of make up is good for that in particular. I'm better at knowing what looks good with what skin tone and such" the counter girl admitted.

Double D nodded, glancing back at the trio. They were still focused on something else, but their attention was waning and he could tell. "I would really like to know. Do you have someone else you can ask? I'd be more than willing to buy anything you bring before me, but I need to make sure it'll work out" the Ed asked, giving the girl a pleading look, his hand reaching out and covering her own for a moment. That one, shimmering eye looking at Becky was more than she could handle as she gave a slight nod. Without a word, the girl scampered off to find one of her seniors to get the information Double D requested.

Waiting until he was sure she was busy and wouldn't spot him, Double D quickly glanced down at the counter, analyzing its contents. Nail polish, some kind of wrist bands, eyeliner cases, sample perfume. That's what he needed. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out an eye drop, although the contents weren't clear like they should have been. Twisting open the perfume, he held the eye drop over the container and squeezed it hard a few times, squirting the contents into the perfume bottle. As soon as he was sure the eye dropper was empty, he put it away, then put the perfume container back the way it was.

The whole routine took less than a minute, and Becky was already on her way back. Looking back, he saw Nazz, Sarah, and Jimmy on their way back already. He pulled his scarf back over his mouth, tightening it before focusing on Becky. The girl seemed a bit disappointed by his sudden urge to cover up, but was happy to be back to the charming customer.

"Alright, so I talked to my manager and I can tell you which of our make up sets are better for wrinkle cover up" Becky announced. From there, the conversation seemed to drag on to Double D. He was going to buy something from her anyways, something a bit more expensive just to keep the level of charm going, but he had to hurry. He needed to see the fruits of his plan in action, but didn't want to be right there when his trap sprung.

By the time the Cul-de-sac group made it to the make up counter, Double D had settled on a set of make up. He thanked Becky quickly and said if things went over well with his mother, he'd go to her for all his gifts. He left the girl smitten with his words and mannerisms, something he honestly could have done without but for the sake of his work, he would gain the attention of a few individuals that weren't directly a part of his plan.

When Nazz and the others began looking at the products, asking all sorts of questions, Becky gave an audible sigh, having to trade in the cute, charming boy for a group of less than mature kids, even if one of them was her own age. Of course, Jimmy was grabbing every little thing and asking about it, then considering if it would look good. Not on himself however, because as effeminate as he was, he didn't seem to cross that line. Rather, he'd hold it up to Sarah or Nazz and mention how good it would look on them.

There were some giggles and laughs shared between the three, accompanied by an irritated sigh that went unnoticed from Becky. It seemed like just a bunch of useless talk, and slowly, the group's interest in the counter seemed to be disappearing as well, their attention spans obviously not that strong. Just as they were about to wander from the counter, Nazz seemed to notice something.

"Oh my gosh! Like, dude, is that the Autumn Peach Spritz? I thought they were out!"

Becky's attention was drawn to a perfume bottle that Nazz seemed to be gushing over. It was already Winter, but they had a few left over bottles of this Autumn Peach Spritz, which was meant for the previous season. It wasn't really that popular, a new perfume that had been released in the area in large numbers in hopes that it would sell out of a sort of Peach Creek pride. It got a little attention, but wasn't acknowledged outside a few people. Nazz seemed to be one of those people.

"Ah, yeah, it is. We have a few in stock. You want me to go get you some?" Becky asked. They only had the one sample on display because it would be a waste of counter space to have the out of season perfume out.

"Um, like, I think so. It's been a little while since I got my hands on some of it, so I might not have the right stuff in mind" Nazz considered. She was pretty sure it was the the same stuff she had been wearing only a season ago, but she couldn't remember that well. She just remembered Kevin seemed to like it and it was part of that Peach Creek cheerleader pride that had brought her to wearing it.

"Well, if you're not sure, you can sample it" Becky stated dully, the obviousness of the free sample apparently going over Nazz's head, thus irritating the counter girl.

"Oh! Right!". Nazz grabbed the tiny bottle of perfume and brought it up. Given that the standard method of sampling perfume was spraying it on the wrist, then smelling your own wrist. Nazz preferred smelling it directly, so that she could get the scent at its strongest. Pressing down on the top of the bottle, she let the perfume hit her face. At least, that's what she was hoping for.

Instead of a burst of scented liquid turned gas, there was a flash of fire that spread over her face. It was only a flash fire, so it wasn't long lasting and didn't do any immediate damage to Nazz's face, burning it or whatever. However, the fire was strong enough that her eyebrows and the bangs of her hair caught on fire.

There was a moment of stillness and silence between the four by the counter, completely confused by what just happened. After five seconds, everything seemed to rush in. Immediately, Nazz began screaming, shaking as the fire slowly spread to the rest of her hair, not sure what to do. Jimmy screamed, clinging to Sarah in terror, who was in turn trying to grab Nazz and keep her still, not that she was sure if that would be of any use or not. Becky was scrambling to find the fire extinguisher that had been placed at the counter. She always found it stupid, considering it was a simple department store, and thus had piled things up around the extinguisher, but here she was now, knocking things over in search for it.

In all, it took less than a minute for Becky to find and use the extinguisher, blasting Nazz in the face with the safety tool's contents. She held it down for a moment, just to make sure the fire was out, and when she released it Nazz appeared frozen in place. Her face was covered in the white chemical contents of the extinguisher, her eyebrows were no more, and half of her hair had been burnt to cinders, leaving only the back portion of her hair behind, which seemed completely mismatched with her essentially bald front half.

Double D, who had been watching from a collection of blouses, acting as though he was considering buying one, nodded to himself and turned away. Heading for the exit, he heard Nazz collapse to her knees, crying into her hands as other store employees rushed to her aid, although the damage had already been done. Jonny and Nazz had been dealt with, although Nazz was still going to have to learn the real lesson behind his actions here, but it wouldn't take long. Now, before he set into motion the next stage of his plan, he had something he had to deal with...

... his date with Marie Kanker

A/N: Yo. Been away for a while, sorry about that. Anyways, I'm going to try and get back on this story and keep everyone's interest. Hope you all keep reading, I'll try to make it interesting.


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